Warning that qualifying criteria for private grid procurement could sideline domestic industry

Concern continues to be raised over the technical and financial criteria being used to prequalify bidders for South Africa’s inaugural independent transmission project (ITP) tender, which critics warn will marginalise domestic industry – notwithstanding a stipulation that there should be a minimum 49% South African equity participation. Government has initiated a two-stage ITP procurement process, with the request for qualification (RFQ) documentation currently available for a non-refundable fee of R150 000 and with a submission deadline of September 23 having been set.
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Sasol wants electricity trading licence to add ‘flexibility’ as it mulls equity in renewables

Sasol CEO Simon Baloyi has confirmed that the JSE-listed group has applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for an electricity trading licence, and is also planning to take equity positions in renewable-energy projects in future. In an interview with Engineering News, which came as Nersa moved to finalise trading rules and Eskom mounted a legal challenge against the regulator’s decision to license five domestic traders in 2024, Baloyi said a trading licence would offer it flexibility as a large procurer and potential direct investor in renewables.
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Sasol expects coal destoning investment to lift Secunda volumes

Energy and chemicals group Sasol reports that construction of its coal destoning plant has been completed and that the facility, which should be ramped up to full production by December, is producing coal with a ‘sinks’ content (rock fragments or other impurities) of between 0% and 1.5%. The brownfield project has involved a repurposing of the Twistdraai export coal plant and an investment of less than R1-billion.
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Eskom launches renewables offtake scheme despite its objections to traders

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses Eskom’s invitation to large electricity users to bid for 291 MW of solar electricity that it is preparing to build and trade and the questions this raises about fair competition given Eskom’s objections to traders.
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Red Sands BESS project reaches financial close

Independent power company Globeleq and its project partner, energy supplier African Rainbow Energy, have reached financial close on the 153 MW/612 MWh Red Sands battery energy storage system (BESS) in South Africa. The project – which is located near Upington, Northern Cape – will span about 5 ha and supply electricity to State-owned electricity utility Eskom’s subsidiary National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), under a 15-year power purchase agreement.
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Energy company preferred bidder for solar, BESS projects

Having been awarded preferred bidder status for the Haru battery energy storage system (BESS), Norwegian renewable energy systems company Scatec has been chosen as the preferred bidder for a total of 846 MW solar in the seventh round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Located at the Leander substation sites – one of five that were identified by State-owned electricity utility Eskom – the Haru BESS project totalled 123 MW/492 MWh in the third bid window of the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP).
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Nuclear power station licensed for another 20 years

State-owned electricity utility Eskom’s Koeberg nuclear power station was recently licensed to operate its Unit 1 for another 20 years, with global consultancy SRK Consulting South Africa playing a role in updating the site investigation reports – specifically the Site Safety Report (SSR) required by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR). These studies were part of a range of updates undertaken by SRK, that need to be conducted every five to ten years, says SRK principal consultant Derry Holmes.
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Sungrow brings inverter, advanced ESS to Middle East and Africa

Solar power company Sungrow has launched its 1+X 2.0 next-generation split modular utility-scale inverter in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. This inverter, which was launched on August 21 at the Sungrow MEA PV and Electricity Storage Solutions (ESS) summit, in Dubai, in United Arab Emirates, is designed to improve flexibility, safety and cost efficiency for large-scale solar projects. The inverter was originally launched at the Global Renewable Energy Summit 2025 in Hefei, China, in April, whereafter it won the iF Design Award 2025, marking it as the first modular PV inverter ever to receive the award.
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TNPA, Nersa move to streamline regulatory frameworks for energy projects at ports

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) in a bid to improve alignment on the regulatory frameworks needed for the licensing and operation of petroleum, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and electricity infrastructure and facilities at the ports. “To ensure the effective implementation of the MoU, governance structures will be established through steering committees with workstreams, each with a specific focus on either technical, regulatory, or strategic aspects,” the entities said in a joint statement.
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Kenya says Japan will extend $169 million in Samurai financing

Japan will provide up to ¥25-billion ($169.42-million) in Samurai bond financing to Kenya, the East African country’s foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi said on Thursday. “This facility will strengthen our local vehicle assembly and parts manufacturing industry while also addressing electricity transmission and distribution losses, currently standing at about 23% of our national output,” Mudavadi said in a post on X.
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